Northern Iowa Basketball: In Depth Look at Sophomore Guard Tywhon Pickford

Why You Should Know Pickford

Pickford has earned the trust of the coaching staff. He played and started every game last season and in those starts, Pickford played about 30 minutes a game. As was mentioned earlier the sophomore did nothing but reaffirm that trust, by producing on the floor. Coach Jacobson often had the guard playing slightly out of position, as he had to play the point last year even though he’s better suited as an off guard.

One of the more underrated aspects of the guard’s game is his ability to haul in a lot of rebounds. Pickford led the Panthers in rebounding last year. His 7.8 rebounds per game were a record for a Northern Iowa freshman. His rebounding totals were also good enough for fifth all-time in the Missouri Valley freshman record books. The sophomore is a 6’4” guard who rebounds like a forward, which is always a great luxury to have.

Last season, Pickford was able to pour in 9.1 points per game. The points per game totals are impressive because Pickford really struggled shooting last year. Overall, he shot 30% from two-point range, and 24% from three-point range. The three-point shooting number is not good, but Northern Iowa was not a good three-point shooting team overall last year. Often freshman will struggle from beyond the arc. The sophomore was able to pour in 77% of his shots from the free throw line, this made up for the bulk of his points last year. These free throw numbers were in a relatively small sample size, as he only took 75 attempts from the line. The Panthers would like to see him be more aggressive and get to the line more.